Off The Deep End
by SpyKid18
Summary: She should have never given him that key to her pool. B


**A/N: Yes, I know that I have a slight addiction to one-shots. BUT, the end of last episode offered me a wonderful opportunity, so I just HAD to take it. I hope you enjoy this :-)**

Off The Deep End

It started out with just Saturdays.

Booth and Parker would drive over to her apartment and she would meet them at the lobby, Parker waving a bright orange floaty-adorned arm at the security guard as they passed. They would ride the elevator up twenty-three floors to the pool and Parker would jump in the moment the water was in view.

Sometimes Booth would swim, sometimes he wouldn't. For the most part he sat with her at the plastic table and chairs, and they would talk. Some days they would talk about work, other days Parker or the weather. For the few weeks before her newest book was published he would coerce details from her until one Saturday afternoon she realized that he had heard the entire story.

After a few months, Parker asked if he could come on Sundays, too. He said that he liked playing in the water, but the sparkle in his eye every time he looked at Temperence Brennan told his father otherwise.

And his father new that sparkle all too well.

So, it went from Saturday to Sunday. Nearly the entire weekend would be spent at her apartment. They would go and swim, invariably sharing lunch afterward. Him and Parker would order burgers and she would get the usual salad. Booth had felt that there was something strange about their arrangement but he had never seriously thought about it. He saw the way Parker looked at Brennan as completely normal. His own feelings he had lived with for so long that he hardly acknowledged them. It wasn't until they were at a diner one afternoon and the waitress told them what a nice family they made that he began to think.

And think a lot.

That might have explained why the next time him and Parker went to her apartment, he decided to swim. If anyone asked he would have told them that this was because he wanted to spend some quality time with his son. And if he got to flaunt his tight form in front of his partner, well, that was just something he would have to suffer through.

He wondered if she would notice. In fact, he worried about this all twenty- three of the floors up to the pool. He had done this before, in fact he had worn less in front of her, but with his senses heightened, he felt a familiar pull of anxiety. They walked into the pool and Parker did his stereotypical canon ball into the pool, his shirt flung hastily at his father. Brennan looked at him with a smirk, taking her usual seat at the closest plastic table.

"I think I'm going to swim today," Booth said, gauging her reaction. He hadn't really expected anything, but the nonchalant shrug she gave him bothered him.

"Alright," she said.

He pulled his shirt off, taking perhaps a bit longer than necessary to clear his head of the neck hole. She wasn't even looking, though. Instead, she was looking at the wall, her fingers tapping furiously against the table. Her foot was tapping furiously, as well.

Huh.

He joined Parker in the pool and laughed as his son generously splashed water at him. He had to admit, the kid was pretty good at it. With the heel of his palm, he gently splashed back, grinning when Parker splashed back blindly, laughing and yelping as water spurted from his mouth.

"You're cheating, Dad!" Parker yelped.

"How am I-" He was cut off by Parker jumping on him, laughing/choking as he pushed down on Booth's shoulders.

"Are you trying to dunk me, buddy?" He said, laughing as Parker continued to jump on him. The kid proved to be pretty strong, but Booth was an FBI Agent, he could fend off a little kid. That is, until he saw Bones standing at the foot of the pool in nothing but a bathing suit.

Parker's hands pushed on his shoulders and he sank into the water, inadvertently snorting the chlorine filled water. He emerged choking and spewing water, the tinkling sound of her laugh hitting him.

"Good one, Parker," she said.

"Be quiet or you're next," Booth warned lightly, wiping at his eyes.

"Parker, you protect me," she said, beginning to wade into the water. Parker nodded solemnly and she told Booth, "See, your son is on my side."

"I'm bigger than Parker," he said.

"You wouldn't touch me," she coolly answered. Her gaze was challenging and before he fully comprehended what he was doing, he launched forward and grabbed her waist. She gasped, making a high pitched squeal as he pushed her under the water. When she emerged her mascara was streaming down her cheeks and he would have felt bad if she hadn't started laughing and hit his arm.

Once she regained her breath she told him, "You did that very well, Booth."

"Why thank you, Bones."

Parker swam toward her and said, "I'm sorry I didn't save you."

"That's alright Parker. Your dad is a lot bigger than you."

At that moment his dad was admiring the way the water made her swimsuit cling to her curves. She had looked at him for some response to what she had said and turned crimson when she noticed the direction of his gaze. Suddenly, she began to think this wasn't the best idea.

"I'm going to swim," Parker announced, diving under the water. He swam to the other end and back, waving to his father as he passed.

And then there were two.

"He's a good kid," Brennan said, moving against a wall. She sunk down, propping her elbows up on the tiles behind her. Booth moved next to her, the water surging toward her as he took his place beside her. They were close, so close that she could sense his body next to hers. One little movement and her leg would be pressed against his.

"Thanks for letting us come here."

"Hardly anyone in the apartment uses it," Brennan told him. "Someone should utilize it. Why not you and Parker?"

"Still, though, it's nice of you to let us come here."

"I guess so," she agreed.

They were silent for a moment, watching Parker swim from one end of the pool to the other. He wasn't a particularly good swimmer. His strokes were choppy and every time he brought his face up for air, his center dropped like a weight. He switched to an equally amateur back stroke when Brennan asked, "Is my suit too matronly?'

"Your suit?" Booth asked in surprise, knowing fairly well what she was referring to.

"Yeah, my bathing suit."

"Um, no, I wouldn't say that."

"Angela told me that it looks out of the 1900s. I think she just wants to get me into a string bikini, though."

The thought of her in one made him swallow hard.

After he caught his breath he said, "I think you look fine, Bones."

"Well, thank you."

"It, um, suits you."

In fact, it did more than suit her. He had noticed immediately how the high cut of the bottom had highlighted her long legs. The neckline scooped just low enough to show a hint of cleavage. And he hadn't even begun to note the color, the way its deep cranberry set off her ivory skin.

He felt a need to tell her all of this. He wanted to say it, finally admit that he was utterly floored by her, that his breath caught every time she entered a room. He wanted to tell her that she made his head spin and every time she was near him he had to keep himself from grabbing her and kissing her until her head spun, too.

"Bones," he murmured, the softness of his voice catching her attention. "There's something I need to tell you."

She nodded.

"I-"

"Dad!" Parker said, knocking into him. "Can we get something to eat?"

He looked helplessly at Brennan, feeling the moment slip away even then. "Sure buddy, um, one minute more."

"But I'm hungry now!"

"Just two minutes, bud."

Parker pouted but turned nonetheless, starting another lap. Booth looked at Bones, the magic he felt moments before nowhere to be found.

"What did you need to tell me?" She asked after a moment, blissfully ignorant.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "It was nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," he said, turning to find Parker. "Come on, buddy, time to eat!"

"Finally," Parker enthused, swimming to the steps. "Hey Bones, you want to come?"

She smiled like she always did when he called her that. It was yet another striking resemblance between him and his father. She glanced at Booth as she said, "Well, if it's okay with your dad…."

"Bones, do you even need to ask?" Booth answered.

"Okay, I'll go."

They climbed out of the pool and Booth allowed himself a quick glance at the cranberry colored material covering her bottom before grabbing Parker and lifting him as they neared the table.

"Dad!" He giggled. "Put me down!"

"This is for dunking me," Booth teased, tickling his side.

Brennan stood at the foot of the table with her towel wrapped around her waist. Watching the two of them, she couldn't help but think, _my boys_.

**A/N: Feedback is greatly appreciated :-)**


End file.
